The Paralympic Games
Contrary to what many people think, the prefix ‘para’ in the word ‘Paralympic’ stands for parallel, and not paraplegic.
The Paralympic Games is an international multi-sport event comprising of athletes with a range of disabilities organised in parallel to the Olympics. The Paralympic Games are only open to athletes with disabilities falling under the ten eligible impairment types such as vision impairment and intellectual impairment. The ten impairment types are further broken down into classifications, with requirements varying with each sport.
History of the Paralympic Games
Prior to the advent of the Paralympic Games, athletes with disabilities had already proven their mettle in competing in the Olympic Games. The first disabled athlete to do so was German American gymnast George Eyser who competed in the 1904 Olympic Games with an artificial leg. Subsequently in 1948 and 1952, Hungarian Karoly Takacs, a right-arm amputee competed in the Olympic shooting events while Danish equestrian Lis Hartel won a silver medal in the 1952 Olympics dressage event.
The first athletic day for disabled athletes were intentionally organized on the opening day of the 1948 Summer Olympics in London, United Kingdom. Known then as the 1948 International Wheelchair Games, the Games were initiated by German born Dr. Ludwig Guttmann for British World War II veteran patients with spinal cord injuries. Through the games, Dr. Guttman aimed to establish a platform for people with disabilities to take part in an elite sports competition similar to the Olympic Games. In 1952, the games became the first international competition of its kind with the Dutch veterans participating alongside the British. These games were the predecess...
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...act (OGI) showed that an estimated 41-50 percent of 1,600 Canadian respondents believed that the 2010 Paralympic Games in Vancouver, Canada triggered increased accessibility of buildings, sidewalks and public spaces for disabled atheletes and individuals. The survey also revealed that 23 percent of employers professed the Games had increased their willingness to hire people with disabilities. These changes, albeit minimal, have signified a better future for the disabled committee.
Although inequality still exists and advancements have been piecemeal, the positive changes display promise that the Paralympic Games have started the flames of change, encouraging society to view people with disabilities not as disabled but as capable. Thus, the Paralympic Games can be seen as a catalyst in creating awareness and changing people’s perception of the disabled community.
Nancy Mairs article, “Disability” (1987), explains that the world is trying to block out the fact that disability is known to be everywhere and how companies and commercial advertisers are trying to not show disabled people on their commercials so that is shows that everyone can use their product besides disabled persons. Mairs doesn 't believe this though, she believes that advertisers are scared to depict disabled people in the ordinary activities of daily life is to admit that there is something ordinary about disability itself, that it may
As a future special educator, I found the film to be most enlightening in relation to the sport as well as the equipment with accommodations provided to the players. The safety design of the special chairs was fascinating to witness since it’s constructed so the player cannot be ejected. Moreover, some players were leg amputees and those chairs were also especially fitted for safety and comfort. For the teammates that had elbow or hands amputated, I saw special endcaps or gloves being worn so they could grasp the ball and turn the wheels on their chairs. During Cavill’s episode, I observed the therapy center and all the devices that are used during the rehabilitation process. When he was taken home, his mother was also giving a tour of some assistive technology (A.T.) that was installed in the bathroom and closet. I also noticed that during the Paralympics clips in Greece, there were runners with Oscar Pistorius' running blades. As well as A.T. devices, there were glimpses of universal design in reference to the special vans with the lifts. Overall, the documentary educates a lot about the actual sport and special devices used. However, its true message is to nurture a person’s spirit and not their
There are currently around 16 clubs across the UK; the sport is still a developing hence why there is one club in Scotland, two in Wales and thirteen in England, compared to 58 wheelchair basketball clubs in the West Midlands alone. At the 1996 Athens Paralympics Wheelchair Rugby was a demonstration sport and in 2000 at the Sydney Paralympic games, wheelchair rugby was first considered a full medal sport and has been ever since. Despite the growth of the sport one of the major barriers is the cost of the chairs. Rugby wheelchairs are specifically designed to withstand collisions and cost around £3,000 (Roma Sport) and according to UK Sport, elite wheelchair rugby players have to replace their chair around every 18 months. Whereas compared to wheelchair basketball the chairs cost around £1,000 to £2,000 (Roma Sport) I have chosen to examine wheelchair rugby, specifically Great Britain Wheelchair Rugby, as I play rugby myself and I am interested in how rugby has been developed into a disability sport. As well as the development of the sport and the development programs in place for
The Special Olympics date back all the way to the year 1968. Many see these Games as a time to honor someone who is able to “overcome” a task, but author William Peace sees this as an insulting portrayal of people with disabilities. Peace is a multidisciplinary school teacher and scholar that uses a wheel chair and writes about the science behind disabilities and handicaps. As a physically handicapped individual, Peace is able to observe a negative portrayal of disabled persons. In his article titled, “Slippery Slopes: Media, Disability, and Adaptive Sports,” William Peace offers his own personal insight, utilizes several statistics regarding handicaps, as well as numerous rhetorical appeals in order to communicate to the “common man”
Burfoot, Amby. "The Disabled Athlete Has an Unfair Advantage." Footloose: Amby Burfoot's Notes from the Road (24 June 2007). Rpt. in The Olympics. Ed. Tamara L. Roleff. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2009. General Onefile. Web.
Approximately twenty years ago there weren’t many improvements made to assist disabled people in the workforce. Ableism was recognized but not much was done. But that has changed significantly. People are much more aware of it and are trying to fix the mistakes of the past to create a better future. One major effect ableism has is that Canadians with disabilities are very likely to live in poverty. 56% of disabled people are unemployed (Council of Canadians with Disabilities , n.d.). Another effect of Ableism is that disabled Canadians are more susceptible to violence and abuse, and are even turning to suicide (Council of Canadians with Disabilities , n.d.). This topic effects cross culture communication because people with disabilities feel that they have only others (with similar disabilities) so turn to for guiding, comfort, and strength. They experience all the negativity towards them for something that they cannot control. One way we can change this is to get involved with the community is to volunteer our time and skills to the organizations who employ disabled people, or institutions that are dedicated to taking care of
Studies have indicated that there are beneficial effects to the attitudes of volunteers of Special Olympics toward the inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities, where positive contact increases social inclusion. In the city of stars, our students can learn that the participating athletes are the true stars.
“Every year around 4.2 million special needs participants attend Special Olympics events around the world.” (Special Olympics). Special Olympics gives individuals with disabilities an opportunity to enjoy participating in sports in the same ways as any other athlete. Special Olympics shows the accomplishments, skill and the bravery of the athletes. Athletics, through Special Olympics, make a positive impact on the lives of those with special needs allowing them to lead active lives.
From starting as a small friendly competition between post World War II vets with spinal cord injuries in 1948 Stoke England, we have witnessed the slow change of how countries have changed their outlook on disabled participants, allowing the evolution of the Paralympics.
The Olympic Games are the leading worldwide sport event that held every 4 years, featuring thousands of international athletes from more than 200 nations participating in a variety of sports competitions. Although the Games are about winning the sports competitions, they also provide a platform for the nations throughout the world to learn different cultures and share uniqueness. The Games are important, and have to be held because they transmit a message of friendship and peaceful between nations.
many sports an athlete have to work hard to become good in the sport they play. If the player is skilled enough he or she can get drafted to play in a professional team and get paid for it. Wheelchair basketball is no different from any other sport. The only exception is that the sport is intended for people with leg disabilities however the benefits remain true. Wheelchair basketball incorporates wheelchair as the only option players can move, thus creating fairness to all players. If it had not been for wheelchairs the disabled would not be able to play the sport and potentially get paid for it. Enthaising the importance of technology and how it affects lives. Overall, technology gives people with disabilities new opportunities for employment.
By this, I mean by looking at the kinds of details that they give and how the Special Olympics images only shows people with intellectual disabilities competing in sports you see what’s defined as being part of the group. The participants shown in the Special Olympics images are competing against each other in the sports basketball, track and field, snowboarding, and swimming. As a result of being able to participate in these activities the participants look like they are enjoying being able to interact with others who are just like them. Noticing the pattern of how the Special Olympics pictures only displays people with intellectual disabilities participating in their service despite the bigger audience they 're trying to reach suggests that people who have physical, mental, and sensory disabilities are not defined as being a part of the group and as a result they 'll think that there aren 't any opportunities or sporting events for them to compete
For athletes with disabilities, there is an ever-increasing pool of sports available in which they can compete. From wheelchair basketball to murder ball, the options are expanding and many have already become Paralympic sports. One of the most fascinating Paralympic sports is judo, a martial art that derives its origins from Jujutsu (“What is Judo and Kodokan,” 2014). According to the article “What is Judo and Kodokan” (2014) Judo was created by Professor Jigoro Kano in an effort to emphasize, “the larger educational value of training in attack and defense so that it could be a path or way of life that all people could participate in and benefit from” (para. 1). A sport like judo requires excellent skills in balance, timing, strength, and others found in similar martial arts. Fortunately for an athlete like Adam, who has optic nerve atrophy and desires to play judo, there are ways for athletes with visual impairments to become involved in the sport.
In the essay “Disability,” Nancy Mairs discusses the lack of media attention for the disabled, writing: “To depict disabled people in the ordinary activities of life is to admit that there is something ordinary about disability itself, that it may enter anyone’s life.” An ordinary person has very little exposure to the disabled, and therefore can only draw conclusions from what is seen in the media. As soon as people can picture the disabled as regular people with a debilitating condition, they can begin to respect them and see to their needs without it seeming like an afterthought or a burden. As Mairs wrote: “The fact is that ours is the only minority you can join involuntarily, without warning, at any time.” Looking at the issue from this angle, it is easy to see that many disabled people were ordinary people prior to some sort of accident. Mairs develops this po...
...eglected social issues in recent history (Barlow). People with disabilities often face societal barriers and disability evokes negative perceptions and discrimination in society. As a result of the stigma associated with disability, persons with disabilities are generally excluded from education, employment, and community life which deprives them of opportunities essential to their social development, health and well-being (Stefan). It is such barriers and discrimination that actually set people apart from society, in many cases making them a burden to the community. The ideas and concepts of equality and full participation for persons with disabilities have been developed very far on paper, but not in reality (Wallace). The government can make numerous laws against discrimination, but this does not change the way that people with disabilities are judged in society.